March 10, 2015 Tuesday: Wk 5, Divine Mercy Novena
March 10, 2015 Tuesday: Wk 5, Divine Mercy Novena
I was naked and you clothed me
Recently, we had some cold days here in our area. On those cold days, as you were driving around town, did you notice anyone walking or standing around without a warm jacket? Did a thought pass through your mind that you wish you could have given away a coat in the closet that you were not wearing? Most of us have more clothes in our closet then we need.
One cold morning when I was unlocking St. Francis Church, I knelt by the crucifix to pray. Have you prayed before the crucifix lately and noticed his appearance? I noticed how Jesus was stripped of all his clothes and dignity. I recalled that he was stripped many times on his journey to Calvary--1) when he was scourged by the soldiers, 2) when he was stripped and a crown of thorns was put on his head by mocking soldiers, 3) when all of his garments were removed at Calvary and the soldiers gambled over them. They stripped him to humiliate him and degrade him. Yet Jesus allowed this so that he might clothe us once again with glory of being called children of God, the glory stripped from us by the decision of our fore-parents Adam and Eve.
We can see the nakedness of our fellow humanity everywhere. Mother Teresa said, "Nakedness is not only for a piece of cloth. Nakedness is for the loss of that human dignity, the loss of that respect, the loss of that purity that was so beautiful, so great, the loss of that virginity that was the most beautiful thing that a young man and a young woman can give each other because they love each other, the loss of that presence, of what is beautiful, of what is great this is nakedness. Homelessness is not a lack of a home made of bricks, but the feeling of being rejected, being unwanted, having no one to call your own.”
Jesus said at Mount Olives, “I was naked and you clothed me.” What can we do in our everyday encounters to answer this call from him? Do we see around us those who are discouraged or in doubt, whom we can clothe with our compassion and kindness? Can we take an ornament from our Easter Giving Tree and bring back a set of clothing for a needy child in our community? As we continue through this season of Lent, let us remind ourselves that at the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by how we loved our neighbor.
I was naked and you clothed me
One cold morning when I was unlocking St. Francis Church, I knelt by the crucifix to pray. Have you prayed before the crucifix lately and noticed his appearance? I noticed how Jesus was stripped of all his clothes and dignity. I recalled that he was stripped many times on his journey to Calvary--1) when he was scourged by the soldiers, 2) when he was stripped and a crown of thorns was put on his head by mocking soldiers, 3) when all of his garments were removed at Calvary and the soldiers gambled over them. They stripped him to humiliate him and degrade him. Yet Jesus allowed this so that he might clothe us once again with glory of being called children of God, the glory stripped from us by the decision of our fore-parents Adam and Eve.
We can see the nakedness of our fellow humanity everywhere. Mother Teresa said, "Nakedness is not only for a piece of cloth. Nakedness is for the loss of that human dignity, the loss of that respect, the loss of that purity that was so beautiful, so great, the loss of that virginity that was the most beautiful thing that a young man and a young woman can give each other because they love each other, the loss of that presence, of what is beautiful, of what is great this is nakedness. Homelessness is not a lack of a home made of bricks, but the feeling of being rejected, being unwanted, having no one to call your own.”
Jesus said at Mount Olives, “I was naked and you clothed me.” What can we do in our everyday encounters to answer this call from him? Do we see around us those who are discouraged or in doubt, whom we can clothe with our compassion and kindness? Can we take an ornament from our Easter Giving Tree and bring back a set of clothing for a needy child in our community? As we continue through this season of Lent, let us remind ourselves that at the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by how we loved our neighbor.
